The Nies family came down to Whitewater for a pre-Christmas get together—one of Mimi's traditional roast beef Sunday dinners.

High temperature in the mid 60s, and pouring with rain. But lots of fun indoors, especially "working" in the office. Ellie typed up and printed multiiple copies of a list of winter clothing. Maddie wrote words so small we needed a loupe to read them, and Becca, downstairs, cooked a full course meal on the play stove. And once they had my number, both older girls used the house phone to keep my cell ringing off the hook.